My Inner Demon

I was leaving the movies with my friends. We had gone to see another horror movie about some ritual. If you knew my friends and how they were the next part shouldn't be a surprise to you. First off, the movie was about some demon who possessed inanimate objects or even people to do its bidding. It was trapped in a cell under a prison. Supposedly the demon tortured the inmates because it thought of them as a nuisance. This went on for so long that when the inmates' times were up they assaulted anyone they could get their hands on, which became a cycle of them continuously being freed then being jailed for attempted murder. Eventually all the convicts were in their cells sentenced to life in prison with the demon.

After several months of the people's talk of demons an archbishop was called to speak to the most "stable" inmate. He told them what's been going on with the demon and as the cleric inspected him he found three slashes on his back. This is known as the Mark of the Trinity which symbolizes a demon had attacked. I have to admit that a few of the scares got me. Especially when the cleric tried to bless the prison. When the priest tried to sprinkle his holy water an inmate jumped from the second floor onto him and tried to bite him. He survived that and got to a boat on the side of the island. However, the driver took a gun from his holster and shot the man in the legs until he fell. Then, he proceeded to drag him back into the prison and smear the walls with his blood. The scene ended with him shooting himself.The prison was condemned. All boats towards the island were stopped.

Anyway, as I said, knowing my friends we went to Alcatraz Island. Yeah, I know bad idea but at the end of the movie there was a hidden website URL shown in the ending cinematic. It showed us how to do a ritual to summon the demon. We've been to Alcatraz before because my friend's dad is pretty high up in the chain of police. By now everyone under him and above him know us pretty well. It was really no sweat, we actually flew there in two helicopters. Knowing the stuff already in Alcatraz we thought that if the ritual actually worked then it would be a great place to test it out with all the paranormal activity. Besides, we wouldn't be harming anyone. Just like in the movie the island is practically secluded from the places around it, only certain people can get access.

After we had landed we made our way straight inside with the things needed for the ritual. I was pretty stoked about this even though we've done a good bit of rituals before. Maybe I should've realized what we were messing with but what's the fun in that? We went to a cell block which looked very reminiscent of the place where the inmate fell of in the movie but hey, most of the time, cell blocks are pretty symmetrical. There were five of us so we had four people on the catwalk opposite of each other and one on the bottom floor who was "activating" the ritual. The four people didn't necessarily need to be up there but for scare factors it would be great. I was, not surprisingly, at the bottom. Seeing as I was one of the stronger members of our little club it was only fitting. Taking the candles from my backpack I placed one at each outer vertex of the pentagram.

The ritual required it to be started at dusk so we explored around more. Unlike last time it was dead quiet. Our footsteps were the only thing that echoed in the halls. Anticipation was building in all of us. The amount of adrenaline in our bodies by the time we got back was near overwhelming. The sun was almost nonexistent from our view and we put more candles around the cell block which we were doing the ritual in. If the lights were to be turned on then it wouldn't be much fun now would it? We got back into place. Once again, four on the catwalks and one on the ground. By the time we lit the candles around the cell block it was dark outside. In the middle of the pentagram we drew there was a candle made of red wax. Signaling me with their candles they prompted me do start the ritual. All I needed to do was light the candle in the middle of the pentagram, wait about a minute, then extinguish it using goat blood.

We were prepared for the worst. Taking the lighter the candle beneath me lit up. After a minute I took the IV bag of goat blood and opened it. Some blood began to drip out and soon enough the candle was doused. A cold wind blew and all the candles in and around the cell block were extinguished. In the distance we heard a loud click followed by a clang of the same force. The pentagram on the floor began to glow the same as the blood. A warmth radiated from it similar to the flames of hell which grasped for the sins of our soul as its oxygen. My friends quickly made their way back down to the ground floor which I was on. Two rotting hands reached out of the middle of the pentagram pushing itself up to our plane of existence. Maybe we should've started running.

A, thing, pushed its way into our world, slowly. Once we saw the body of the creature running felt like a very good idea. Before we could move it began to speak."The blood of the lamb has showered me releasing me from my shackles by which I am bound. Who has summoned me to this world? It is not angelic for I sense the evil in your hearts, although, it is not demonic as you hold little power. Perhaps that is the foolhardy reason you awakened me, for power to trump the kings of the land?" As it talked we just stared at its head, or, where its head should be. It talked out if its stomach and the gaps in its flesh and skin were filled with a dark substance that was running through his body with closed eyes peering out. I'm sure we were all thinking the same thing but before we could move it spoke once more. "You're trapped here with me. From the moment you lit the candle you were trapped. Unless you want to make a deal....."

As always, I was the first of speak. "What kind of deal?" "It's simple really, very very simple. If you were so inclined to bring others here then you would gain so much power." Its eyes now opened staring at me, and I stared back.

One of my friends said, "Look man, we just wanna leave."

Then another one spoke, "Just leave us alone. We're sorry to disturb you, but please, just let us go." My two other friends had a look of horror in their eyes, not able to say a word. The creature's eyes were still staring at me. I look upwards, past the decapitated neck of the creature and towards my friends.

"A blood pact. Correct?" I asked.

"Indeed, not even death shall do you part with the power that will be bestowed." Looking around I found a metal pipe on the wall. With surprising easiness I pulled it out and held it to my side. Walking towards the monster my grip on the pipe strengthened. My friends.....

"How'd you like the story?" I said.

"It wasn't bad, where'd you find it?" Alexis asked.

"Somewhere online. Really obscure and shady website."

"You guys ready?" Alexis asked her friends starting up the boat. About ten minutes later we were at the island.

"So this is Alcatraz?" one of Alexis' friend said in awe.

"I still can't believe that you got access to go here." Alexis said to me.

"Yeah me either, it's surprising that they let some 20 year olds on here. Anyway, let's get inside." Leading the way I held the door open for my friends.

"You have the instructions for the ritual right?" Alexis asked smiling.

"Yep, no turning back now, right?" I said as a smile appeared on my face. In the corner of my eye there was a mirror and the reflection showed the creature. What a creature it was, its beauty unrivaled.

"Something wrong?"

"I'm fine. Just a bit anxious." I said as I felt the gun in my pocket. "Let's go do that ritual."